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Question: We learn that over the course of human history, people have been striving for pleasures, starting with the basic pleasures (food, shelter, and etc.) and until the most complex pleasures (knowledge and truth). It would be logical to suppose that today humanity should be striving for knowledge. But it seems that instead we’re fighting for the basic things more than anything else. It seems that bodily values are more important for us than values of the mind and knowledge.

My Answer: People without food will strive for nothing but food. And in our technically developed era, when so many possibilities present themselves, we start seeing that wealth, fame, power and knowledge won’t make us happy. This is first felt by the young generation, and it is the reason for people’s feelings of emptiness and depression. Egoism’s growth leads to its own destruction. It presents its inability to achieve happiness, and it forces us to start using it in the only other way possible – for bestowal instead of reception.

Question: Can egoism bring about the soul’s destruction? What happens to people like Hitler and Saddam Hussein? Will the Almighty give them the chance to reach Lishma?

My Answer: They will definitely reach Lishma, complete adhesion with the Creator. They’ll become absolutely righteous, because the leaders of the world are a blind instrument in the hands of Nature, and it’s us who produce their horrible behavior and actions in this world, by being opposite to Nature. Our imbalance with Nature (the law of bestowal) begets the negative correcting forces, such as these horrible rulers/agents you speak of.

Question: In the news in all languages, including English, French, and German, we keep hearing about a rise of instances of mothers killing, eating, and brutally treating their children. This looks absolutely unnatural. How are we to understand this phenomenon?

My Answer: We should understand this phenomenon as a consequence of egoism, which has reached the final phase of its growth. The prophets wrote that mothers will kill and eat their children, if we don’t correct our egoism before it grows. Read the prophets!

A question I received: Can a person who gave everything he had to dissemination, inner work, the group, and love of friends, who participated in congresses and worked with all his strength and desire, suddenly leave this path and go to another Rav? How can someone be so passionate about this and sacrifice himself for the goal, and at the same time look for another teacher?

My Answer: Everything is possible. I’ve seen all kinds of things. Every person has his own path and others shouldn’t interfere with it, including myself. We should help and give to people, but after that everything depends only on the person himself. One’s spiritual development is one’s own choice; there is no coercion when it comes to one’s spiritual path. This is the only approach that will prove to be genuine and will attract everyone, and only this attitude to one another conveys true care and love, and corresponds to the law of Nature.

The goal of creation is for every person to attain complete equivalence with the Creator through free choice. Therefore, we can only bring the method to the surface, offer people the group and our forces, but the choice is up to the person! If you ask people who’ve been in the group and studying with me for fifteen to twenty years already, they’ll tell you that I never ask questions even when someone leaves the group or disappears all of a sudden. A person’s soul should teach him how to correct it.

Question: In response to a question, you said “Don’t talk about Kabbalah to anyone except the people you study with.” But then how should we push people to Kabbalah? I feel that if I don’t remind certain people about this topic or give them hints, then they’ll never even find out that such a thing exists, at least not in this reincarnation.

My Answer: You can give them a “hint” but no more than that, and don’t push. You should be especially careful with the people you have constant contact with. It’s better if others will talk to them about Kabbalah. Keep your relationships with them regular, on the level of this world.

Question: Can a student without spiritual attainment rely on his direct intellectual understanding of Baal HaSulam’s works? I’ve been listening to the Bnei Baruch lessons and reading Talmud Eser Sefirot almost every day for over a year now. Every time I feel that I understand something I read, I have a strong desire to share it with other students. Can I write about the things I understand and give it to others to read? Or can I only give it to people who have spiritual attainment?

My Answer: You can, but don’t overload others. Do it only for making contacts. After all, by doing so you won’t be studying the main material, the Kabbalist’s thoughts, but your own thoughts.